(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable microwave oven which can be carried outdoors.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, microwave ovens for home-use counter top type have been prevalent on the market and occupy a suitable area in kitchens. In recent years, however, with drastic expansion of the automobile industry as well as the outdoor leisure industry, there have been a demand for microwave ovens for cooking outdoors base on the tendency to seek various leisure-oriented lives. In response to this tendency, portable microwave ovens of a light-weight type which can be carried outdoors with ease have been developed.
In general, microwave ovens have a turntable which turns food or a metal-made agitator for agitating microwaves in the power feeding portion of microwaves to the heating chamber letting the food stand still, so that microwaves will uniformly heat food when it is heated.
However, when these methods are applied to portable microwave ovens, it is necessary to ensure a heating chamber having some degree of volume, unavoidably increasing the apparatus size. Conversely, when the body is reduced in size, there is no space for equipment of the apparatus for uniformly heating food, producing a problem of large uneven distribution during heating. Because of frequent carriage from place to place, this type of microwave oven needs increased strength against vibration.
Further, in portable microwave ovens mainly used outdoors, the door for allowing the user to put food into and take it out of the heating chamber is provided on the top of the apparatus body with a food tray placed on the bottom of the heating chamber. This arrangement, however, has given rise a problem of bad handling when the user puts food on the tray inside the heating chamber or when the user takes food from the heating chamber after heating.